Typical Uses For Scaffold

Due to improvements in health and safety legislation in the United Kingdom, tradespeople must now use scaffold or platform access equipment for almost all working at height scenarios.

Prolonged use of ladders is now discouraged through the legislation.

But what type of access equipment is suitable for common jobs outside the home?

Three Examples of Access Equipment

Below are three examples of access equipment typically used in the United Kingdom:

Ladders

You may use a secured ladder for minor projects that require no more than 30 minutes work time in any 24 hour period. Complex work involving multiple tools should be avoided. Three points of contact should be kept on the ladder at all times. Otherwise, use a scaffold.

Platform Towers

You can use an aluminium access tower for more complex projects within a localised area. They are simple to erect, can be used to store tools and most materials within the weight limits. Wheels can also be fixed so the tower can be moved easily on level and hard ground.

Full Scaffold

Professional scaffold hire should be used for all other situations, including spanning all or part of a house, as a gantry over a conservatory or as access to a roof or chimney. You can store extra weight with this setup, and they provide a safe area for using and storing tools

1) Gantry Over Conservatory – This price is for a scaffold company to erect a scaffold tower either side of a conservatory or other outbuilding and bridge the gap. This setup is perfect for installing windows above a large conservatory, replacing the roofline boards and guttering or doing repairs to the wall or roof. Good access to the rear of the property is usually required.

2) Scaffold For Roof Access – This is typically used when carrying out extensive replacement work to the roof. All sides of the property will be scaffolded and there is usually an upper level on any gable ends. This type of scaffold is required for any work at height projects where roof edge protection is required.

3) High-Level Chimney – Scaffold is erected up one side of the property, along the roof and around a large chimney located in the centre of the roof. This setup is used primarily when pointing, dismantling or rebuilding a chimney stack.

4) Smaller Chimney – Not all chimneys are huge and high, some are located at the side of the roof, next to the guttering and are much smaller and often much easier to access. The scaffold is usually erected for repointing the bricks, rebuilding the chimney or removing it completely.

5) Full Scaffold With Hat – This setup involves erecting scaffold around all sides of the property and also over the roof with a “tin hat” to protect the property from rain. This scaffold requires a considerable amount of work and also pre-planning to ensure it’s the correct height and has enough lifts (walkable levels) in the correct place. This is by far the most expensive scaffold you would expect to see around a typical house.

Project:

Price:

Over Conservatory

£450.00

For re-roofing a semi-detached house

£1000.00

High level chimney

£850.00

Low level chimney

£450.00

Wrap around with hat

£11000.00+ depending on height and location

Where Your Money Goes

While you are not purchasing any materials directly, there are other costs, such as fuel, employee training and insurance that need to be accounted for. VAT is unavoidable as all scaffold companies are registered and must charge 20%. Wages include employers national insurance contributions.

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Get a Personalised Price Online

Our scaffold cost guides are just that, guideline prices based on our experience and research.

We do think we can help you save money off your scaffolding price, though.

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Yes. While some smaller businesses that earn below the VAT threshold do not need to register or collect this tax, we know from experience that almost all scaffold companies are operating above the VAT threshold. The scaffold cost guides on our page include this tax at 20%.

Every project is different and access issues can complicate the work. How many employees are deployed on teh project will also affect the time but use this as a guide. We assume the scaffold is to be erected to a 3-bed house.

The scaffold company will usually offer you a contract with a time limit for how long you can keep it for. Additional time will cost more. For chimney work it's normally a week. For a new roof, scaffold is usually hired for up to two weeks. If you are extending and renovating a property you can choose a long term hire of several months.

Some tradespeople, especially roofing contractors, will have their own access towers and ladders for smaller projects. For more complex work an external scaffold hire company will be used. If this is the case, we suggest you get the scaffold cost clearly specified in the quote from your tradesperson, you can then shop around and compare prices from different scaffold companies.

Your location will affect the scaffold prices you are given. Our prices are for any location in the south of the UK excluding London where you can expect to pay a premium. Locations in the north of the UK should be slightly cheaper than the prices we have displayed on this page.

We gathered quotes for a house extension and renovation we carried out in the south-east of the UK during 2016. We decided to create this website based on the prices various tradespeople and companies gave us. We also did some further research by contacting friends and colleagues, as we are tradespeople ourselves so this wasn't difficult.